The Rise of the Next Generation
by Zelfina
Summary: As Albus is heading to school, a new enemy is rising in the unexpecting Wizarding Community. As the Second child of Ginny and Harry Potter settles in to Hogwarts, he may have to worry about more than Potions class.


Albus returned his gaze from the window as he saw his father touch his scar absent mindedly. He took in a deep breath once more and lowered his own hand to the velvet seat of the cabin that was beside him. He looked out at the glassed door and he saw other children rush by. A deep sigh wracked his frame as he thought back to when he first got on. All of the younger Weasleys had went into the same seating area, and as Albus had walked by only one of them had looked up to watch him pass. And that was Rose. They were all a big family, the Weasleys and Potters. There was hardly a difference anymore, half of the time-even his side of the family- were referred to as the Weasleys. There were so many that he almost had problems remembering all of the members in the family.

The sliding sound that signaled someone was entering his own private cabin happened just then. His head turned his gaze from the countryside behind the window to the now entering new wizard. He first suspected to see one of his kin. Rose, Molly, but most likely in his opinion James who would be coming back to terrorize him once more at the thought of Albus actually being placed in the Slytherin house. His father's reassurances had not done much for the first year's nerves, so his stomach was still aflutter with the nervous butterflies. You could tell the surprise when a boy that was not related to Albus in any way walked into the booth of the Hogwart's Express. Many relationships had started on this train. Including his Father's and his uncle's friendship. He would not be surprised if just as many had started enemies.

The boy was a gangly type. Although the young male had not hit the real growth spurts, the mouse brown haired boy seemed to have a clumsiness that the only understandable reason was that he had not yet gotten used to the height that his long legs had given him. His soon to be cabin mate was around as tall as his brother who was in turn a head taller than Albus. There were many other differences. Where Albus had normal colored skin that was usually on every other eleven year old English boy. This one had freckles stretched across his face and over the bridge of his nose. As well as this, instead of the colorful Emerald Green that Albus had adopted from both his father, and his late grandmother. This boy however had a pair of stony gray eyes to accompany the rest of his almost boring characteristics.

"Do you mind if I sit?" The boy asked in a voice that clearly belonged to only a young eleven year old. Albus in fact did not mind, so he clearly said so in his own voice. At the acceptance the passenger came in and sat down across from the other. They inspected each other for a few moment before Albus stuck out his hand to say:

"I am Albus Potter. First year of course." He said and a small nervous smile appeared on his pale face. The other boy inspected his hand, as if there was some catch to the hand shake. Like an electric zapper that the muggles loved to use for pranks. Noticing that Albus noticed his hesitation he quickly accepted the hand that belonged to Basil Jones, as his partner was introduced thus.

Basil was dressed in a pair of jeans and a simple t shirt that read _Old Navy_ across the gray shirt. For a moment he swore that he saw what could only be described as a relativity to Neville Longbottom.

"Are you related to Neville Longbottom?" He questioned with a small tone of curiosity laced into his voice.

"Excuse me who? I just found out that magic existed and I still don't know what to do with **this**." Basil said and withdrew his wand. His point was enforced by a shot of light that emitted itself from the tip of his wand and flew towards Albus's head who quickly ducked beneath the light and left a scorched mark on the head rest part of the seat behind him.

"Oh sorry, sorry, sorry. I did not mean to do that." He said and he quickly tossed the wand away from him as it landed by the seat of the sliding door. A sound emitted itself once more and what could be described as a miniature rocket seemed to spout away from the wand and crashed out of the glass door and they heard the protests of voices across from them. They simultaneously looked out of the whole to see the glare of a group of older girls across from them and they leaned back to their seats before letting nervous laughs exit their mouths.

"I really am sorry about that." Basil seemed to mumble under his tone and Albus quickly scooped the trend of conversation up.

"It really isn't a problem, I have a large family and I have suffered a lot worse than an almost blast to the face." He said with a smile on his young face. He glanced out the window for a moment and was surprised to find that he in fact did not know where he was at all! The train couldn't possibly be moving this fast… could it? "This one time, my brother James ran into me with his broom stick, ther-" Albus was interrupted by the obviously muggle born.

"You already knew about this stuff? I mean you grew up with it and everything?" He asked with a curiously exasperated look on his face.

"Yeah, both my mom and dad are wizards." He said as if it was the most normal thing in the world, and for him. It was.

There conversation was cut off as the trolley lady came down the isle. She glanced skeptically at the hole in the door but rolled her eyes. She had seen much worse in her days.

"I will take a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, a cauldron cake-actually I will have the chocoballs instead," He corrected himself but he continued going through his mind of the candy that he would want. His parents had warned him not to spend to much money on food but his Uncle Ron had slipped him some more change knowing that his family's healthy eating habits left them all yearning for candy. He would not be surprised if James would order twice as much as he will. "I will also have a licorice wand, A few chocolate frogs, two sugar quills, a pack of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, and finally a pumpkin juice to wash it all down. Actually, make that double of everything." He said with a smile on his face as he thought of all of the candy he was going to eat, never mind the feast after that. The lady gave him a strange look and he put his hands up in surrender.

"I am going to share." He said as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

There was a transfer of money and sweets and soon the duo had a large pile of candy on each side of them. Albus saw the look of amazement on his hopefully new friends face and a smile lit his own.

"Watch out for the Beans, when they say every flavor. They mean every flavor. Every year, my brother and some of my cousins save up what they think are the worst flavors and they dare us younger ones to eat them. We do of course, and there have been some really gross ones. But there were also nice ones as well, the weirdest one I have ever had was the flavor of a fluffy cloud supposedly. It was… fluffy." He said simply as he watched the lad across from him sniff at the Pumpkin juice experimentally before shrugging his shoulders and taking a sip.

"Well, that isn't that bad." Basil said after a gasp and a sip. Albus let his true laugh ring before saying, "Try the chocolate frogs next, but make sure to hold onto it." He said with a smile on his face and he in turn prepared himself to open the box. He liked to pretend that the frog was a snitch, so he always let it take one large hop before snatching it up as if it were the flying, golden ball before he devoured his prize of chocolaty goodness. Albus quickly followed his plan and the first chocolate frog was gone. He glanced down at the card and saw that it was his own mother smiling up at him. He had several of them and he treasured all of them, no matter how many he received. He heard a quick yelp of surprise as Basil's frog leaped to his face and the boy quickly reacted by putting his palm to his forehead and squishing the treat by accident. Albus was the first to laugh and Basil was soon to follow. At that moment, as cheesy as it sounds- the two became friends, officially and not just kids on a train that buy each other chocolate and candy.

The two companions were leaning back in their Hogwarts robes with the empty packages around them.

"Well that was filling." Basil said just before James rushed in.

"Oi, Albus get off of your lazy butt and get your gear. We are almost there." James said and hardly spared a look at Basil the first time but looked back. "Are you related to Neville Longbottom?" The black haired male questioned and both Albus and Basil shot off a quick. "No." At the older brother who shrugged his growing shoulders and exited the carriage. One hand remained on the sliding door and he shouted "Don't get wet." Before the hazel eyed lad left. Albus rolled his emerald ones in exasperation as he got down his pet ferret from the storage compartment of their seats.

"You got a ferret?" Basil asked in excitement as he watched the rodent blink it's eyes from her nap.

"Yup, her name is Jasmine." He said as he reached his fingers through the cages bars to stroke the ferret's white muzzle. Jasmine shifted her head so that he now stroked the brown part of her head and body.

"I didn't get anything." His friend said with slight disappointment as he slipped his wand into a pocket of his robes. Albus patted his own pocket to assure that his own Holly wood with Hippogriff feather core. They had all been expecting the Holly wood, but they had also expected the Unicorn Hair that had accompanied his mother's wand. James' wand had carried the Cherry wood from his mother and the Phoenix feather of their father's. Although Albus was slightly upset that he had not achieved the balance of his parent's wands. He didn't believe that he would be able to stand up to his brother's Phoenix feather to a Unicorn Hair.

The train finally slid to a stop and the boys quickly grabbed their last minute things as the rest of the riders started to exit the train. He watched as Basil quickly slipped a piece of the chewing gum in his mouth and Albus knew that at the next bubble, he would poke it and cause it to deflate. His mouth curled up in a smile as the plan came into his young mind and with that he and Basil exited the train. He glanced around him at the slightly misting day and heard the loud bellow that told the First years where to gather.

"Come on." The Potter said after dropping his Ferret off to make sure that it would be placed in whatever house he was placed in. The pair made their way over to Hagrid and the trio exchanged quick pleasantries but then Hagrid was called off to look after other first years.

"You see," Albus started. "First years have to take the boats across. I don't really understand the reason other than tradition." He said Basil was now walking beside him in an almost comfortable stride as they made their way to the boats.

"Does anyone fall in?" Basil questioned almost nervously and Albus comforted his friend by saying.

"Nope, it is hard to fall out of those boats. Only one person every decade or so falls out." He consoled his friend. The boys heard Hagrid come up behind them and they turned around with their heads tilted to look up at the half giant half humans.

"Well, are you ready to see Hogwarts?" Hagrid asked in his brusque tone. The two boys looked to each other and a small smile appeared on their faces before saying in synchronization,

"Yes."


End file.
